Wind musical instrument

ABSTRACT

A wind musical instrument having a shaft supported on a body and a key mounted for rotation on the shaft, wherein a stop lever is mounted in contact with the key and another key is disposed adjacent the first key through an adjacent edge, the shaft being arranged a selected distance from said adjacent edge.

Elnite States Eatent [191 Carree [111 3,865,005 451 Feb. 11, 1975 WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT [75] Inventor: Robert Victor Carree,

Mantes-la-Ville, France [73] Assignee: Buffet Crampon, Paris, France [22] Filed: Aug. 22, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 390,351

{30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 15, 1972 France 72.32707 [52] U.S. Cl. 84/380, 84/385 [51] Int. Cl. ..G10d 7/08 [58] Field of Search 84/380, 382, 384, 385

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,555,980 6/l95l Loney 84/385 2,560,083 7/1951 Bullock 84/385 Primary ExaminerLawrence R. Franklin Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert E. Burns; Emmanuel J. Lobato; Bruce L. Adams [57] ABSTRACT 8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED v 3,865,005

SHEET 30? 3 Has , WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to wind musical instruments and, more particularly, to those of the saxophone family. v

A saxophone consists of a conical tube or body provided with a mouthpiece and formed with openings in its side over which shutters or stops are respectively applied. Each stop is carried by a lever mounted on the body. The other end of the lever terminates'in a key. By applying finger pressure to the key, the saxophonist removes the stop from its opening and obtains the desired sound.

The position of the keys, integral with their lever, is determined once and for all during manufacture of the instrument. It cannot be adapted to suit the particular hand technique of each individual saxophonist.

Deformation of the key by twisting to adapt it to the hand of the saxophonist or by accidental shock often affects the stop, multiplied by the arm of the lever. The lever itself can also be buckled during deformation of the key.

When two keys are adjacent one another and have to be depressed successively, but with a brief interval in between, by the little finger of the saxophonist, the little finger which has been lowered to depress the first key is situated below the contact surface of the second key. It is unable to slide from one to the other due to the difference in level between the two keys. The saxophonist has to remove his little finger, displace it perpendicularly to this first movement, and then lower it onto the contact surface of the second key. It follows that even virtuosos are unable to follow the tempo of certain pieces of music. It is not possible to overcome this difference in level, so detrimental to the quality of the music, by shortening the lever because all this does is to reduce the amount of leverage available to the little finger for lifting the stop which would greatly fatigue the finger of the saxophonist who has to depress the key thousands of times. It has been proposed to provide the adjacent edges of the keys with rollers so as to form a rounded driving edge which carries the finger towards the second key. Unfortunately, the difference in level remains.

' It has also been proposed to mount the two keys for rotation about a common shaft extending along the opposite edges. The increase in the distance between the keys which are no longer really adjacent, and the need to have the top of the shaft projecting beyond the contact surfaces of the two keys for passing from one to the other, increases the transfer time. Above all, to have sufficient leverage for depressing the key, the little finger has to be withdrawn from the opposite edges. The path between the most remote edges of the keys is thus too long and the difference in level is considerable.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to obviate all these disadvantages and to make it possible to produce an instrument of the saxophone type in which the deterioration in the adjustment of the stop on its orifice is avoided, the positions of the keys can be adjusted as required and the transfer of the finger from one key to an adjacent key is facilitated and can be carried out very quickly by sliding, the little finger always remaining in the vicinity of the adjacent edges of the keys.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The saxophone according to the invention comprises a key in contact with a stop lever and mounted for rotation about a shaft carried by the body of the instrument and parallel to the edge of the key adjacent another key. The shaft is arranged at a distance from the adjacent edge, especially below the other key where it is protected against impact and, preferably, at a certain distance calculated on a line perpendicular to the median plane of the two keys which is parallel to the adjacent edges.

FURTHER FEATURES OF THE INVENTION As a result, the lever arm of the finger which depresses the key is sufficiently long notto cause any fatigue, even if the finger is applied to that zone of the key closest to the adjacent edge. The finger no longer has any need to move far from this edge. Accordingly, it remains very close to the other key. It is even possible for the finger no longer to have to be moved by translation by resting it on both keys at once and imparting solely a rotational movement to it, followed by a pushing movement towards one or other of the keys, depending on the sound required.

In general, the other key is mounted symmetrically with respect to, and in the same way, as the first key.

It is of advantage for the position of a support for the two shafts to be adjustable in relation to the body.

In this way, it is readily possible to adjust the position of the keys and, in particular, to mount them for rotation about a radial axis in relation to the body and/or with variable clearance from the body.

In order to compensate for this clearance and to prevent the key from following a free course before being applied to the lever, it is advisable to insert, between the key and the lever, a spacer member preferably mounted on the lever or on the key.

In one embodiment of the invention, the key is carried by a support engaged telescopically with a sleeve fixed to the body, the relative angular and/or engagement positions being maintained by a retaining means.

In general, the key is mounted on the spindle or shaft by an arm whose fixing zone is near the adjacent edge of the key, so as to leave free the median or opposite zones furthest away from the other key which come into contact with the lever.

The zone defining the surface of contact between the key and the lever is with advantage slightly inclined along a radius of the circle described by the key about its axis of rotation so as to compensate for any misadjustment of the relative positions of the lever and key. Even if the lever is situated further away from the adjacent edges of the keys than intended, its displacement, perpendicularly of the body, under the pressure of the key remains substantially the same because the greatest displacement of that zone of the key in contact with the lever is compensated, clue to its greater distance away from the axis than intended, by the distance between this zone and the lever in its unintended position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, given solely by way of example:

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS The saxophone shown in FIG. 1 comprises a body 1 provided with a mouthpiece 2 and formed with openings over which stops R mounted on levers L are applied. The levers are operated by means of keys.

Thus, in FIG. 2, a lever is made up of a shaft 3 mounted on the body 1 through bearings 4, and of two arms 5 and 6 integral with the shaft. The arm 5 carries a stop 7. The angled arm 6 terminates beneath and comes into contact with a key 8.

Similarly, another key 9, adjacent the edge 10 of the 25 first key, is connected to a stop 11 through an independent, similar rod forming a lever.

As shown in FIG. 3, the keys 8, 9 are mounted on the body 1 through a radial sleeve 12 which is fixed to the body and in which a grooved rod 13 (FIG. 4) telescopically engages. A screw 14 screws into a radial thread 15 (FIG. 4) in the sleeve and its end is-accommodated in one of the grooves 16 of the rod 13 at the particular point in this groove selected by the saxophonist. A plate 17 is fixed to the rod 13. Two pairs of balls 18, 19 (FIG-2) are fixed to the plate 17, forming bearings for two shafts 20 and 21, respectively, which are situated in a plane parallel to the axis of the body and which are integral with two arms 22 and 23, respectively, the end of one of which is fixed to the key 8 and the end of the other to the key 9.

The zone 24 where the arm 22 is fixed to the key 8 is close to the edge 10. The zone 25 of contact with the arm 6 is inclined relative to the axis of the body 1 and moves away from it proportionally to its distance from the shaft 20. Accordingly,,the zone 25 extends substantially in the extension of the arm 22, i.e., on a radius of the circle of rotation described by the key 8.

A spacer member 26 screws into a thread 27 in the arm 6 (FIG. 5).

In order to adjust the position of the keys, the saxophonist unscrews the screw 14 and adjusts the penetration of the rod 13 into the sleeve 12 in dependence upon the required interval between the keys 8, 9 on the one hand and the body 1 on the other hand.

He then turns the rod 13 in the sleeve 12 to adjust the position of the keys about the axis of the sleeve 12.

He maintains the selected position by screwing the screw 14 and engaging the end thereof in one of the grooves 16 of the rod 13.

He brings the zone 25 into contact with the arm 6 by unscrewing the spacer member 26.

The comparative functions of conventional saxophones and the saxophone according to the invention are illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In FIGS. 6A and 7A, the saxophonist is not depressing either of the keys 8, 9, whilst in FIGS. 68 and 7B he has depressed the key 8 and is preparing to depress the key 9.

In FIG. 68, he has to raise his finger to overcome the difference in level D between the two keys.

In FIG. 7B, the contact zone 25 has been depressed through a distance D to release the stop from the orifice. However, the edge 10 of the key 8, although moved slightly away from the key 9, has remained at substantially the same level as the key 9 due to the rotation of the key 8 about the shaft 20 parallel to the edge 10. The saxophonist is able to slide his finger easily from one key 8 to the other key 9'because, since the shaft 20 is remote from the adjacent edge of thekey 8, his finger is able to remain in the vicinity of this edge when it depresses the key 8. It remains close to the key 9 both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction so that it can be transferred to the key 9 through a simple rotational movement about its own axis.

I claim: V

1. On a woodwind musical instrument, a supporting structure for two keys positioned to be played by the same finger, comprising:

an instrument body;

means mounted on said body for supporting first and second shafts, said shafts being mounted parallel to each other with the plane defined by said shafts being parallel to the axis of said body;

a first key connected to said first shaft by an arm, said first key being located above said second shaft;

a second key connected to said second shaft by a second arm, said second key being located above said first shaft;

each of said keys having an edge facing the other key with both of said edges being positioned adjacent to one another and being located the same distance from said body;

first and second stops;

first and second levers mounted on said body for rotation about third and fourth shafts, said first lever having one end connected to said first stop and a second end underlying said first key and adapted to be actuated by depression of said first key; and said second lever having one end connected to said second stop and a second end underlying said second key and adapted to be actuated by depression of said second key.

2. An instrument according to claim 1, wherein the zone defined by the surface of the key in contact with the lever extends substantially along a radius of the circle described by the key about its axis of rotation.

3. An instrument according to claim 1, wherein the position of said supporting means is adjustable in relation to said instrument body.

4. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means is mounted for rotation about a radial axis relative to said instrument body;

5. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means is adjustably mounted a variable distance in relation to said instrument body.

6. An instrument according to claim 5, wherein a spacer member is connected to said second end of said first and second levers for compensating the clearance between a key and its lever.

7. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means is engaged telescopically with a sleeve fixed to said instrument body, the relative angu- 3 ,8 65 ,005 5 6 lar and/or engagement positions being maintained by a and second shafts, a retaining screw being screwed into retaining means a radial thread in the sleeve and en a ed at on e of its 8. An instrument according to claim 7, wherem said g g supporting means comprises, engaged in the sleeve, a

grooved rod integral with a plate supporting said first 5 ends in one of the grooves of the rod. 

1. On a woodwind musical instrument, a supporting structure for two keys positioned to be played by the same finger, comprising: an instrument body; means mounted on said body for supporting first and second shafts, said shafts being mounted parallel to each other with the plane defined by said shafts being parallel to the axis of said body; a first key connected to said first shaft by an arm, said first key being located above said second shaft; a second key connected to said second shaft by a second arm, said second kEy being located above said first shaft; each of said keys having an edge facing the other key with both of said edges being positioned adjacent to one another and being located the same distance from said body; first and second stops; first and second levers mounted on said body for rotation about third and fourth shafts, said first lever having one end connected to said first stop and a second end underlying said first key and adapted to be actuated by depression of said first key; and said second lever having one end connected to said second stop and a second end underlying said second key and adapted to be actuated by depression of said second key.
 2. An instrument according to claim 1, wherein the zone defined by the surface of the key in contact with the lever extends substantially along a radius of the circle described by the key about its axis of rotation.
 3. An instrument according to claim 1, wherein the position of said supporting means is adjustable in relation to said instrument body.
 4. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means is mounted for rotation about a radial axis relative to said instrument body.
 5. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means is adjustably mounted a variable distance in relation to said instrument body.
 6. An instrument according to claim 5, wherein a spacer member is connected to said second end of said first and second levers for compensating the clearance between a key and its lever.
 7. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein said supporting means is engaged telescopically with a sleeve fixed to said instrument body, the relative angular and/or engagement positions being maintained by a retaining means.
 8. An instrument according to claim 7, wherein said supporting means comprises, engaged in the sleeve, a grooved rod integral with a plate supporting said first and second shafts, a retaining screw being screwed into a radial thread in the sleeve and engaged at one of its ends in one of the grooves of the rod. 